Utility derrick



1954 R. o. BALOGH 2,687,809

UTILITY DERRICK Filed April 6, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 JNVENTOR. ROY 0. BA LOGH Aug. 31, 1954 R. O. BALOGH 2,687,809

UTILITY DERRICK Filed April 6, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4. Q a l o 27 36 28 Q INVENTOR. ROY O. BALpsl-i Patented Aug. 31, 1954 UTILITY DERRICK Roy 0. Balogh, Clayton, Mo., assignor to McCabe- Powers Auto Body ration of Missouri 00., St. Louis, Mo., a corpo- Application April 6, 1953, Serial No. 347,065

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in utility derricks and, more particularly, to a two-legged derrick adapted for use on utility truck bodies to facilitate the servicing of power lines, poles and the like.

Electric light companies, telephone companies, and the like, must maintain an extensive system of poles and elevated structures for carrying transmission lines, switches, transformers and similar equipment and, for such purposes, employ trucks equipped with various types of derricks, which, for safety reasons, must be lowered or dismantled while the truck is moving from one job-site to another. Since maintenance problems usually relate to a series of poles along a particular line, it becomes necessary to set up and dismantle the derrick equipment frequently as the truckis moved along the line from pole to pole.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a utility derrick which can be conveniently mounted upon a truck or vehicle and can be quickly and simply elevated and lowered with a minimum of manual effort.

It is a furtherobject of the present invention to provide a derrick of the type stated which is simple and economical in construction and,when

raised to operative position, provides an unusually rugged, strong derrick structure capable of handling substantial loads with ease and simplicity.

It is also an object of the present invention to i provide a derrick of the type stated which is of such shape and configuration that, when in operative position, the derrick-legs can be adjustably positionedwithin predetermined limits so that the resultant between a vertical load and a corresponding pullwill coincide with the longitudinal axis of the derrick-legs.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a derrick of the type stated which is extremely compact when in transport position and is adapted to be securely fastened in such position so that it cannot readily become loosened while the truck is being driven from place to place over rough roads or similar terrain.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a derrick of the type stated which can, when in upright position, beshifted to various positions of angularity within predetermined limits. a

With the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims. l t

or transport position;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevational View of the utility truck with the derrick shown in inoperative or transport position;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of the truck body with the derrick shown in inoperative or transport position;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the rear portion of the truck body showing the derrick in elevated or operative position;

Figures 6, 7, 8, and 9 are fragmentary sectional views taken along lines 6-45, 'll, B-8, and 9-9, respectively, of Figure 5; and Y Figure 10 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the vectorial resolution of forces in the derrick of thepresent invention.

Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention, A designates a utility truck body having a floor I,

compartmentalized side walls 2, 3, and a short an upwardly and rearwardly extending cable 6.

Secured or otherwise rigidly mounted across the forward end of the roof 4 and extending upwardly therefrom is a supporting frame 1 of inverted U-shape and integrally including outwardly diverging legs 8, 9, and a horizontal bight section [0. At their upper rear corners, the side walls 2, 3, are provided witha horizontal opentopped trough H for housing a U-shaped crossframe l2 pivotally connected atits lower ends within the forward portion of the trough H and operatively provided midway of its bight with a cable pulley l3. Swingably secured to each of the legs of the frame I i are adjustable brace bars l4 housed with a rearwardly opening U-shaped channel 15 and having a plurality of spaced apertures 16 for receiving a pin I! by which the height lines in Figure 2.

The floor 1 extends rearwardlya short distance beyond the rear ends of the side walls 2, 3, in the provision of a shelf-like projection [8 which is, in turn, provided at its outer corners with swivelly mounted hinge-fittings i9. Rockably mounted by means of self-alignin bearings in the hinge-fittings l9 are tubular legs 2! provided at. their: upperends with external sleeves 22 welded thereto and extendingnpwardtherefrom. At their upper ends, the sleeves 22 are split open to the rear to form an aperturefl23 bordered by spaced parallel plate-like wings 24, 25, upwardly of the aperture 23. The sleeves 22 are also split open to theiront-in' the formation of an opening or recess 26'hav-ing spacedparallel side walls 27, 28. In the area between the aperture 23 and recess 26, the sleeve. 22 is reinforced by lateral plates 23 and provided with transverse pintles 3B.

Adapted for removable and swingable disposi- I tion upon thelegs. 2|is a;derrick B having the .shape or configuration-of an inverted V and comprising. two tubular derrick legs 3| connectediat their upper .ends vby a head fittingv 3 2 and each ibeingpivotally mounted adjacent its lower end on the pintles 38, the extreme lower-portion of -each .leg-3l extending through the aperture 23 when in transport-position, as shown in Figure 4, and will fit embracingly between the wings 24,

.25,-and side W2,l1S 21,328, Whenin upright position, as shown in Figure 5, being. held in. such position .by, La locking pin. 33 of the type more .fully describedin my copending application Serial No. 331,243, filed January 14, 1953.

:The head fitting 32 consists .of two spaced .parallel plates 34 connected at the top by rivets 35 and-provided.- along their forward edges with elongated guide rollers36. Operatively mounted between the plates 34 is a-sheave 31 over which the cable 3 is trained.

Welded or otherwise rigidly attached to the rear end of each of the side walls 2, 3, and projecting rearwardly therefrom are bracket-plates .38, each of which is transversely apertured and ..provided with aself-alignin swivel-joint 39 having a transverse swivel pin 49. Rockably mount- ;ed on the swivel pin 43 on opposite sides of the .lswivel-joint 33 are spaced parallel ears 4|. in- ..tegrally formed upon the lower end of a conventional hydraulic cylinder 42 having an upwardly extensible piston rod 43 which is, in turn, provided withan end fitting M having spaced parallel earsllfi rockably mounted upon a second swivel- ..joint 39 forming a part of a second bracket-plate 46 welded to the lower end of and laterally 01?- set from each derrick leg 3| just above the point of. engagement with the pintle 30, all as best seen Figures 2 and 5. ,The derrick legs 3| are also transversely connected just above the bracket plates 45 by a cross-rod 41 which is preferably welded in place at its ends, thereby, in effect, converting the derrick legs 3| into a rigid, substantially integral A-frame.

The hydraulic cylinders are conventionally connected to an oil-pressure system of the type .more fully disclosed in the. above-mentioned copending application.

Welded to the lower portion of the side walls 2,' 3, and projectin rearwardly therefrom directly below the bracket plates 33 isa bracket 48 hav ing a pair of spaced parallel cars 49 for embraceably engaging the lower portion of the legs 2| which are releasably retained therein by locking pins 33. identical with the previously. mentioned locking pins 33.

The derrick B is releasably fastened in trans- I port position, that is to say the horizontal posilhorizontalposition, the cable .3 is trained over tion shown in Figures 1 and 2, by means of a holddown chain 50 attached at one end to one end of a spring 5! which is, in turn, secured at its other end to a toggle link 52 pivotally mounted at one end on a fulcrum-plate 53'Welded to the leg'il of the supporting'fframe T. "The tog le link 52 is also-eccentrically pivoted at its other end upon a handle lever 54 which is, in turn, pivoted iupon the fulcrum-plate 53 upwardly of the togv.glelink 52, as shown in Figure 4. The other end of the hold-down chain 50 is adjustably retained :between" a'pair :of; spaced parallel upstanding ears. 55'formingintegral parts of a chain catch 53. The hold-down chain 50 and associated .mechanismsoperates in the manner more fully described in the above-mentioned copending application.

In erecting the derrick B, that is to say swing- ..ingit :intotoperative.position, as shown in Fig- 'ure-4,the'hold'-down chainfill is released and,

thereupon, oil :under pressure .is introduced :into

.the cylindersliZ, 'causing the piston: rods. 43 to extend and swing-the derrick legs 3| intosubstantially upright --.and rearwardlyswun .position. During this initial upward movement, .the

twisting movement induced in the legs 2! iscompensatedby the-shelf aligning: bearings 2 0 andzsby the swiveling. ofthe hingefittings: 9. ,The. derthe. legs 2l-.are then released by'removal; ofithe .pins 33'.

Thereupon, additional oil. is :admitted to the cylinders 42 thereby swinging'the-derrick-B; rearwardly and-outwardly to the desired angle -of inclination. The cable 6 is trained underthe-pulley l3 and the cross-frame swung upwardlyto suchposition that .the;angles b, b; between" the cable Bandderrick legsn3l are equal; so that-the resultant of forces is, in substantial efIect,-in-.a common plane with the: longitudinal axes of -the derrick legsi3l, as shown'in Figure 10. Where the. derrick legs 3! are in a low or more nearly .41 also servestheadditional function of a shortradius elevator for lifting heavy loads directly upwardly for -ashortdistance from the'rfloorwl. This is very usefulin-easingtransformers-and similar heavy objects up and over the-back end of the truck onto the ground.

It should be understood that changesand'modifications in the form, construction; arrangement, and combination of the several-partstof the utility derrick may .be i made and substituted for: those herein shown and described without-departing from the nature and principle of myinvention.

Having thus describe'dmy. invention, whatI claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. Alive boom derrickadapted for usewithia vehicle body or other supporting structurercapable of providing a stable platform 'for :theiderrick; 'said derrick comprising a boom havingitwo converging legs rigidly fastened togetherxat their .upperends, ,a pair of .laterallyjspaced tpivots mounted upon the supporting structure andxoperatively engaged with the lower ends of said legs, said legs each being provided intermediate its ends with a hinge, each of said hinges dividing the leg with which it is associated into an upper portion and a lower portion whereby the boom can be lowered to a transport position in which the upper portions of the legs extend over the truck body in approximately horizontal position and the lower portions of the legs are in upright position, locking means associated with each hinge for optionally looking the upper and lower portions of each leg together to render the boom rigid throughout its length whereby the boom will assume an operative positionin which it may swing to and fro as a unit about said pivots, auxiliary locking means for releasably engaging the lower portions of the legs when the boom is in transport position, and power driven extensible means operatively connected between the supporting structure and the upper portions of said legs for shifting the boom into and out of transport position when the lower portions of the legs are enga by the auxiliary locking means and also swinging the boom to andfro when said boom is in operative position and the lower portions of the legs are disengaged from the auxiliary locking means.

A live boom derrick adapted for use with a vehicle body or other supporting structure capable of providing a stable platform for the derrick; said derrick comprising a boom having two converging legs rigidly fastened together at their upper ends, a pair of laterally spaced pivots mounted upon the supporting structure and operatively engaged with the lower ends of said legs, said legs each being provided intermediate its ends with a hinge, each of said hinges dividing the leg with which it is associated into an upper portion and a lower portion whereby the boom can be lowered to a transport position in which the upper portions of the legs extend over the truck body in approximately horizontal position and the lower portions of the legs are in upright position, locking means associated with each hinge for optionally locking the upper and lower portions of each leg together to render the boom rigid throughout its length whereby the boom will assume an operative position in which it may swing to and fro as a unit about said pivots, auxiliary locking means for releasably engaging the lower portions of the legs when the boom is in transport position, and hydraulic cylinder means operatively connected between the supporting structure and the upper portions of said legs for shifting the boom into and out of transport position when the lower portions of the legs are engaged by the auxiliary locking means and also swinging the boom to and fro when said boom is in operative position and the lower portions of the legs are disengaged from the auxiliary locking means.

3. A live boom derrick adapted for use with a vehicle body or other supporting structure capable of providing a stable platform for the derrick; said derrick comprisin a boom having two converging legs rigidly fastened together at their upper ends in the formation of an apex, a pair of laterally spaced pivots mounted upon the supporting structure and operatively engaged with the lower ends of said legs, said legs each being provided intermediate its ends with a hinge, each of said hinges dividing the leg with which it is associated into an upper portion extending from the hinge to the apex and a lower portion extending from the hinge to the pivot whereby the boom can be lowered to a transport position in which the upper portions of the legs extend over the truck body in approximately horizontal position and the lower portions of the legs are in upright position, locking means associated with each hinge for optionally locking the upper and lower portions of each leg together to render the boom rigid throughout its length whereby the boom will assume an operative position in which it may swing to and fro as ,a unit about said pivots, auxiliary locking means for releasably engaging the lower portions of th legs when the boom is in transport position, and a pair of hydraulic cylinders respectively connected between the supporting structure and the upper portions of said legs for shifting the boom into and out of transport position when the lower portions of the legs are engaged by the auxiliary locking means and also swinging the boom to and fro when said boom is in operative position and the lower portions of the legs are disengaged from the auxiliary locking means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,364,851 Johansen 1 Dec. 12, 1944: 2,383,172 Wagner Aug. 21, 1945 2,541,970 Pospisil Feb. 13, 1951 2,557,192 Leister June 19, 1951 2,557,466 Richards et a1 June 19, 1951 2,598,517 Drott May 27, 1952 2,611,580 Troche et al Sept. 23, 1952 2,616,666 Honey Nov. 4, 1952 2,649,210 Marchese Aug. 18, 1953 

